Cherry Fluff Salad | Swanky Recipes (2024)

If you’re looking for the next potluck side dish or dessert to bring to a graduation party or potluck dinner, I have you covered. This vintage cherry pie salad has been a family favorite for years. You may even hear it go by the name fluff salad or cherry chiffon dessert. It’s the same great dish and there are so many different ways to change up the recipe but this is always how my mother made it.

WHAT IS CHERRY FLUFF SALAD

We’re just a few weeks away from the start of summer and the potluck season will officially be here.

Typically served as an American dessert, cherry fluff salad is another type of no-bake summer dessert that’s a twist on the classic Ambrosia Salad that’s been around for generations in the United States. It is a popular cool whip dessert that can be made for Mother’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, 4th of July, and Christmas. Because it’s a no-bake potluck dessert that’s served cold, it’s refreshing on a hot summer night. It can also be referred to as a sugar salad (in the south), cherry angel salad, cherry dump salad, and a cherry pie filling dessert.

Since cherry season is typically during the summer months, feel free to use your own homemade cherry pie filling in place of store-bought pill filling. My mom is big into canning her own summer berries to make desserts with later during the year. This is the perfect recipe to use those fresh summer cherries in.

HOW TO SERVE CHERRY FLUFF SALAD

Cherry fluff salad is the perfect side dish or dessert to serve for a potluck, summer party or barbecue with friends. Serve it cold on a summer night.

HOW TO MAKE CHERRY FLUFF

This refreshing summer dessert salad can be made the same day its served. It doesn’t require hours of refrigeration or need time to rest, however, I like to give it at least an hour of resting time. That way, the juices have time to soak into the marshmallows and expand.

To make this cool cherry summer dessert, combine the pineapple chunks, cherry pie filling, marshmallows, sweetened condensed milk, whipped cream topping, and almond extract to a bowl. Give the fluff salad a good mix to combine all the ingredients. Next, refrigerate the whipped cream cherry salad until it’s time to serve.

If you plan on serving this the next day, hold off on adding the pineapple juice. Simply drain the juice from the can and just add the crushed pineapple. Because marshmallows are made with sugar, they will soak up any juice and expand then as the sugar melts they will weep the longer it sits. It’s not really a problem, but just know that if you plan on serving this the following day, the cherry salad won’t be as firm as day one. It will have more juices in the mixture.

Cherry Fluff Salad can be made with fresh cherries, canned pie filling, or your own cherry pie filling. If you plan on using fresh cherries instead of cherry pie filling, remove the pit. Next, toss them into a food processor to chop them. Add 1/4 cup sugar to the cherries and allow the cherry juice to melt the sugar before continuing.

If you’re looking for a delicious twist on the classic Ambrosia Salad, try my Cherry Pie Fluff Salad. It’s made with crushed pineapple, whipped cream, and cherry pie filling. This salad gets raves reviews from family because it’s so easy to make and it doubles as a quick summer dessert. Try my Cranberry Fluff Salad during the Thanksgiving holiday season next or this Strawberry Shortcake Dessert Salad for an easy twist on a summertime classic.